Immediate response to aggression or attempted aggression: Niger's new junta to neighbours
text_fields
Niamey: The newly installed junta in Niger has issued a strong warning of an immediate response to any "aggression or attempted aggression" against the country. This comes as a deadline set by neighbouring countries approaches, demanding the reversal of last week's coup.
The junta has also taken diplomatic measures in response to international condemnation, including scrapping military pacts with France and recalling ambassadors from Paris, Washington, Togo, and Nigeria.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had given the junta a week to reinstate democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted by his guard on July 26. Failure to comply risks possible military intervention by the regional bloc. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has urged ECOWAS delegations to reach an "amicable resolution," reported AFP.
Niger's junta has made it clear that it will respond with force to any aggression against the country. However, they have excluded "suspended friendly countries" from this warning, referring to Burkina Faso and Mali, neighbouring nations that have also experienced military coups in recent years.
As West Africa's leading military and economic power and the current ECOWAS chair, Nigeria has taken a firm stance against coups and imposed trade and financial sanctions on Niger. Senegal has also expressed its willingness to send soldiers to join any potential ECOWAS military intervention.
President Bazoum, who has been detained with his family since the coup, warned that the coup's success would have dire consequences for the country, the region, and the world. He called on the US government and the international community to help restore constitutional order in Niger.
Amid the unfolding crisis, thousands of people rallied across Niger in support of the coup leaders on the country's independence anniversary, with some displaying giant Russian flags and chanting anti-French slogans. Anti-French sentiment has been on the rise in the region, while Russia's influence, often through the Wagner mercenary group, has grown.
The junta has taken measures against France, including scrapping military pacts and recalling ambassadors. France has been actively involved in combating the jihadist insurgency that has plagued the Sahel region since 2012, stationing troops in Niger along with the United States.
The situation in Niger has prompted the United States and Britain to withdraw embassy personnel. France has evacuated over a thousand people from the country, and the United States has chartered a plane for the evacuation of non-essential personnel and American citizens wanting to leave.
President Bazoum, celebrated for leading Niger's first-ever peaceful transition of power after winning elections in 2021, now faces a tumultuous situation marked by political instability and security challenges in the region.
